The abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, also known as Gellone Abbey, is located on the eponymous town, in the Hérault, 40 km north-west of Montpellier by road.
It was founded in 804 by William of Gellone and was then under the order of the Benedictines. Classified as a Historical Monument since 1840 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the Saint-Jacques Way since 1998, the abbey was a spiritual site from the 10th century on, as a relic supposed to come from the cross on which Christ had been crucified there was preserved.
Stop on the way to Saint-Jacques, the Languedoc style Romanesque abbey includes a church whose porch dates from the twelfth century and whose nave is very high (18 m), an altar Carolingian era, and a remarkable cloister alas partly dismantled after the Revolution (part was reconstituted in New York).
The visit of the site includes that of the museum housed in the former refectory of the monks: we discover in particular elements of the cloister and the tomb of the founder of the abbey.
Linked to the village that developed around it, the history of the abbey whose influence and authority were important until the sixteenth century when it had a hundred monks is marked by a first looting when Wars of Religion. Restored in the seventeenth century by the congregation of Saint-Maur, the abbey was seized during the Revolution. It will be necessary to await the second half of the 19th century so that the vestiges are raised, renovated and put in value (except the dispersed and reused elements or the part of the cloister which was bought and transferred in the United States).
Every summer, the abbey hosts a renowned festival of classical music.
Besides the site of the abbey, it is also advisable to discover the picturesque village. Free visit all year. Information on +33 4 67 57 75 80.
